T Mobile

By CHARLOTTE CHRISTOPHER, chchristopher@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, July 20, 2011

Fifteen technicians based in Connecticut voted Wednesday to join the Communications Workers of America Local 1298, making them the first T-Mobile employees to unionize in the nation, the union said. Their petition was granted by the National Labor Relations Board after what the union described as efforts by the company to deter the organizing drive. William Henderson, president of CWA Local 1298, called their success a "great victory for telecommunications workers," praising them for having "the guts and wisdom to stand up to protect their own interests.

T-Mobile, out of nowhere, is pushing AT&T and Verizon as Hartford area's fastest, most reliable wireless service based on the latest independent test results. With 4G LTE, maybe anything's possible. After adding the high-speed service (translated: fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution) in Greater Hartford last year, T-Mobile has finished a close third in the mid-2014 performance report from RootMetrics . AT&T, with a 97.6 score, and Verizon (97.5) remain in a virtual dead heat as the area's top carriers, but T-Mobile's 93.8 puts it much closer to first than to last-place Sprint (82.1)

Got AT&T LTE? If so, your wireless service is the fastest, most reliable in Greater Hartford. AT&T? For those who thought this is Verizon territory, the latest performance report from RootMetrics released March 29 shows how far AT&T has come since installing high-speed 4G LTE (as in fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution) service here as part aof a $750 million wireless-network upgrade in the state the past three years. AT&T's increased data speeds pushed it past Verizon into first place, for the first time, in combined performance that includes data, call and text.

T-Mobile, out of nowhere, is pushing AT&T and Verizon as Hartford area's fastest, most reliable wireless service based on the latest independent test results. With 4G LTE, maybe anything's possible. After adding the high-speed service (translated: fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution) in Greater Hartford last year, T-Mobile has finished a close third in the mid-2014 performance report from RootMetrics . AT&T, with a 97.6 score, and Verizon (97.5) remain in a virtual dead heat as the area's top carriers, but T-Mobile's 93.8 puts it much closer to first than to last-place Sprint (82.1)

Got AT&T LTE? If so, your wireless service is the fastest, most reliable in Greater Hartford. AT&T? For those who thought this is Verizon territory, the latest performance report from RootMetrics released March 29 shows how far AT&T has come since installing high-speed 4G LTE (as in fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution) service here as part aof a $750 million wireless-network upgrade in the state the past three years. AT&T's increased data speeds pushed it past Verizon into first place, for the first time, in combined performance that includes data, call and text.

AAA members have access to roadside assistance, but when your car is broken down and you're lost it may be hard to guide roadside assistance trucks to your location. Relax. Now it should be a breeze for AAA members who are also customers of AT&T and Sprint mobile phone services, who can use satellite location services via any GPS-enabled mobile phone to guide tow trucks to their exact location. The feature is called AAA FindMe and is available for free to AAA drivers with active AT&T and Sprint accounts.

It seemed like a natural fit when Cox Communications Inc. jumped into the wireless business this past spring. The cable companies were already selling Internet access and home phone in addition to TV, so why not wireless as well? That's what AT&T is pushing toward — all four telecom services under one roof. But it wasn't to be. Cox, the nation's third largest cable provider, in 19 Connecticut towns, announced Wednesday it's exiting the service immediately because it couldn't make wireless work.

Smart phones are quickly elbowing aside basic point-and-shoot cameras as the device of choice for sharing everyday experiences. In Consumer Reports' recent tests of 45 smart phone cameras, the T-Mobile G2x ($250) stood out with very good still images overall and was among the best for video quality. "Consumers may be tempted to shoot just about everything with their smart phone cameras, given their capabilities and convenience," said Terry Sullivan, associate electronics editor for Consumer Reports.

By CHARLOTTE CHRISTOPHER, chchristopher@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, July 20, 2011

Fifteen technicians based in Connecticut voted Wednesday to join the Communications Workers of America Local 1298, making them the first T-Mobile employees to unionize in the nation, the union said. Their petition was granted by the National Labor Relations Board after what the union described as efforts by the company to deter the organizing drive. William Henderson, president of CWA Local 1298, called their success a "great victory for telecommunications workers," praising them for having "the guts and wisdom to stand up to protect their own interests.

Connecticut is home to some of the nation's leading telecommunications companies. Comptel is a trade organization representing some competitors of the telecommunications giant AT&T. Comptel has more than 40 members that provide services to businesses and consumers in Connecticut, or develop products for the communications industry. These companies include Dexter Systems in Fairfield and Granite Communications, a provider of services to 70 of the Fortune 100 companies, which includes more than 10,000 lines in Connecticut alone.

If you're on the road a lot, you don't always want to deal with having to find a wireless connection. A portable modem might be a worthy investment. However, if you have the right smartphone, you don't have to bother getting another gadget. Smartphones enabled with tethering capabilities allow you to connect your handset to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as your laptop, and use the phone's cellular data connection to get you online. HTC Thunderbolt (Verizon Wireless) The good: The HTC Thunderbolt offers incredibly fast 4G data speeds.

One day after New York's attorney general announced a tough review of AT&T's proposed takeover of T-Mobile USA, Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen said he will communicate with federal regulators as they investigate the deal. Jepsen said he received phone calls on his involvement in the giant wireless merger after New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said Tuesday his office is undertaking a "thorough review" of the acquisition. "A merger of this magnitude, especially in an already concentrated market, will naturally be scrutinized for competitive ramifications," Jepsen said.

By MATTHEW STURDEVANT, msturdevant@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, March 25, 2011

AT&T, only days after reaching a deal to buy T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom AG for $39 billion in cash and stock, said it plans to invest billions of dollars to speed up its network, add cell towers and reduce the number of dropped calls. AT&T says it has spent $750 million in Connecticut since the start of 2008 upgrading its wireless and wireline networks, and the company is planning more as part of a $19 billion investment this year. At an AT&T media event Friday, including a tour of its main wireless switching station in Middletown, the company would not say how much of that $19 billion would be invested in Connecticut.